Prof Josef Strobl from Z_GIS challenged the participants to compile, design and share their first online maps, and to recognize the differences between traditional static maps vs dynamic, interactive map-based interfaces at the core of online geo-media. One full day was dedicated to creating decision-support information from available data through spatial analytics, before everyone embarked on the journey to build a web-app as well as a storymap to ‘communicate spatially’ with their respective target audiences.

Participants from all across Central Asia (and Rwanda) accepted this challenge, built valuable skills and will implement their new competences in their thesis projects and professional as well as academic environments. Thanks are due to Prof Alishir Kurban and his team from CAS-XIEG for organizing this workshop, and for providing an excellent learning environment. Looking forward to seeing lots of shared maps, apps and storymaps online in the future!

The GIS in Central Asia Conference – GISCA 2017 under the motto ”GIScience for Sustainable Development" was held August 28-30, 2017 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The main objectives of this English language conference were to bring together GIS academics, researchers and practitioners from Central Asian and other countries and to encourage international cooperation and knowledge exchange in GIS education and science. GISCA 2017 was organized by and at the Institute of Water Problems, Hydropower and Ecology (IWPHE), Academy of Sciences of Republic of Tajikistan (AS RT) jointly with the Austria-Central Asia Centre for GIScience (ACA*GIScience) and the GIScience Commission, Austrian Academy of Sciences. The organizers are grateful for sponsorship and support from by Trimble, the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet and the Research Centre for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (Dushanbe). The GISCA conference series and its publications are managed by ACA*GIScience with support from Eurasia-Pacific Uninet and the ÖAW GIScience Commission.

A post-conference workshop on "Geo-ICT for nature-based tourism and recreation" was conducted by Dr. Sabine Hennig from Z_GIS. More than 80 conferenceparticipants from European and Central Asian countries have shared scientific research presentations and discussions, experiences and findings of international initiatives on GIS education and research.

On the occasion of GISCA’17, ACA*GIScience will again publish a special issue on GIS (including Remote Sensing, Spatial Statistics and related geospatial applications) in Central Asia. The issue will be published in the International Journal of Geoinformatics (journals.sfu.ca/ijg). The deadline to submit complete papers for review is October 15. For any questions, please contact the editors by email . We are looking forward to a high quality journal issue representing the state of the art of geospatial methods and applications across the Central Asia region.

‘gSmart’ scholars @ University of Sopron (former University of West Hungary) succeeded in enhancing their quality in teaching, research and learning of Geoinformatics. The University of Sopron hosted 25 ‘all level’ scholars from Central Asian Universities. In total 8 Master Level scholars successfully finished their studies in Hungary and have now returned to their home countries to either work in the local Geoinformatics industry, teach or continue their studies at a higher education institution. Please see below title of Mater’s Theses and links to personalized documentation of activities.

A small group of gSmart project partners got together to discuss lessons learned and future activities, during the GI_Forum conference in Salzburg.The meeting started with an excursion to the Landscape Lab in Koppl, close to Salzburg. Hermann Klug, head of this Z_GIS research group provided detailed information and insights to participants.This last face-to-face gSmart meeting highlights the close end - July 14, 2017 - of the Erasmus Mundus mobility scholarship project (http://em-gsmart.zgis.net/).